Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

Telgemeier, R. (2014). Sisters. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.
Sisters is graphic a non-fiction memoir about a girl that wants to become a big sister.  She eventually becomes a big sister to Amara and to her brother Will.  The story mainly focuses on the battles between sisters and a road trip to Colorado to visit family.  Mom drives and they take a week to get there and then a week to get home.  Dad arrives by airplane.  In the story Raina looks back at some of the fights and arguments that the sisters have about anything and everything.  Raina feels like she is bothered by having siblings and especially sharing the same room with them.  They get fish and they die, they get frogs and again they die, next is chameleon and again death, and finally Amara gets a snake.  Raina hates snakes because she once had a bad experience with one.  Snake goes missing in the van 2 months before trip and all assume it died of lack of nutrition.  They journey across country to cousins house and things are not as Raina remembered them from last visit and she feels left out.  They stay a week and then begin the journey back home.  On the way home, car trouble and mom and brother go for help and Raina and Amara stay behind with vehicle.  Snake reveals itself as still alive, then panic and capture. Girls bond a bit after discussing worries of dad and mom having marital problems. Mom brings help and they proceed towards home and all is well. 
I grew up in a large family that took many long road trips and could imagine this type of thing happening to us.  Siblings were always fighting and bothering the driver as in this story, but they were fun and memorable times.  This is a funny, easy to read, true story about a girl and the struggles of having a sister who was not what she expected.  They have to work to get along and grow to appreciate their differences.  I enjoyed the graphics, especially "Anatomy of a Road Trip"  that maps out the car and the different things that siblings take on trips. This novel reminds you of road trips you might have experienced as a child.  The details and awesome artwork featured in this story are true real life situations told through the memories and cartoons of a young teen girl.  Truly a fun read that you could read and re-read over and over.  The emotions of sibling rivalry and growing up are evident throughout the story.  Other graphic novels by you might want to read from this amazing humorous author are Smiles and Guts.